Sometimes a scripture pairing consists of the same verses found in two places in the Bible. How do we match up a passage from the Old Testament quoted in the New Testament? Discover the clues to decipher this memorable match.
In search of a pair
When I was a kid, we played a game called memory. After turning over a card in search of a pair, you had to remember where you had seen the one that matched.
What does this have to do with the Bible?
Paired up scripture passages
Once we’re familiar enough with the content of the Bible we may recall where paired up passages are, especially connections between the Old and New Testament. But what if we aren’t that familiar with what’s in the Bible?
Is there a shorter route to recognition?
Yes!
Simple clues
A few simple clues can lead us to these memorable matches.
Scripture pairing New Testament
One such pairing is found in chapter two of Acts, a book of the New Testament. Acts follows the four Gospels in the New Testament lineup.
Day of Pentecost
Today’s section, like the previous post, occurs on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came down upon the followers of Jesus who were gathered together.
Peter, one of the disciples speaks to explain the events taking place:
“This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.” (Acts 2:16)
“‘In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days,
and they will prophesy.’” Acts 2:17-18 NIV
This is a cool passage by itself. God will pour out His Spirit on all people. This also describes what has just happened in the preceding verses of Acts chapter two on the Day of Pentecost.
Here’s a reminder of what we discovered with Pentecost:
Connection contrast – Tower of Babel and Pentecost
Key verse
A key verse in today’s passage is Acts 2:16. These were the words of Joel, a prophet.
What’s the significance?
Scripture pairing Old Testament passage
This is our link to the Old Testament. Here’s the original passage:
“And afterward,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your old men will dream dreams,
your young men will see visions.
Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.” Joel 2:28-29 NIV
Pretty cool, huh?
This is a powerful passage he’s quoting.
Did you see that? Peter quotes Scripture. Though it may not be clear from how he says it, after all, Joel could just be some guy he knows with the title of prophet.
But that’s not the case. Joel is a prophet of the Old Testament whose words are recorded in the book of Joel.
Where verses originated in Old Testament
The passage in Acts helps us find where these verses originated in the Old Testament.
Do you remember what verse 16 said?
Spoken by the prophet
We can glean some clues from the wording in verse 16.
“This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel.” (Acts 2:16)
This passage in Acts is from the minor prophet book of Joel.
Clues in phrases
We can find clues in the New Testament as to the origin of a passage by looking for phrases like “spoken by the prophet” or “it is written.”
Remember names of prophets
Another piece that helps us recognize the correlation to verses spoken by an Old Testament prophet is to remember the names of the prophets. I know this may seem like a lot because, let’s be honest, there are a lot of them.
Reference books of the Bible
As you become more familiar with these occurrences in the Bible, you’ll start to recognize which references are books of the Bible.
We can see where this quote originates, simply by looking at the verse that leads into the quote.
We can then connect the Old and New Testament through this scripture pairing of the same passage in two places.
Why does this matter?
- Discover a backdrop or backstory for context of these verses.
- Gain greater comprehension of Bible content through this type of scripture pairing.
- A way to read or experience the Old Testament as it relates to the New Testament.
I appreciate having the background of the Old Testament when I read the New Testament. For me it’s like watching the first of a movie trilogy. The inside jokes, knowing nods from an awareness of what came before or where that phrase first came to light.
If you prefer to focus on the New Testament, there’s a way to make some of these connections to the Old Testament simply through clues found in the words you read. These clues can often give us just enough information to determine the original location of the phrase we found.
There are other ways that segments of scripture come together. Finding an exact match or quote between the Old Testament and New Testament is just one way.
For a refresher on the minor prophets:
A bike and the Bible – Daniel and the minor prophets – part 13
What’s “A bike and the Bible?”
A quick ride through the entire Bible to get your bearings.
Here’s the starting point:
A bike and the Bible – an adventure – intro – part 1
Or you can type “A bike in the Bible” into the search bar for quick access to all 17 short posts.